Technology convergence is apparent in most technology fields. In telecommunications, the effects of technology convergence are readily apparent due to the large number of people affected. For example, services once provided solely by landline service providers are now offered through wireless service providers. As a result, many consumers have cancelled their landline telephone service in favor of using their wireless mobile device as their primary means for voice communication. Other consumers have sought high-speed Internet access from cable or satellite companies as their primary means for data communication and still use their wireless mobile device as their primary means for voice communication.
With newer wireless communications equipment and more sophisticated processing techniques, consumers now have access to higher bandwidth data connections as provided by wireless service providers. More recently, with the advent of high-speed data access protocols such as Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), and High-Speed Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) Packet Access (HSOPA), consumers have the ability to transfer data at speeds close to that of landline services.
Increasingly, the consumer is inundated with the number of individual service providers needed to acquire the bundle of services related to fixed and mobile voice and data communications. Ultimately, many consumers would prefer to have a single provider and bill for all of their services. Meanwhile, wireless service providers would like to penetrate the potential market of in-home voice and data services further, but a number of consumers would prefer to retain their wireline service as a safety measure in the event they do not have reliable in-home wireless coverage. Others retain their wireline telephone service for dial-up Internet service or just out of habit.
Despite potential market resistance, modern wireless networks with adequate coverage can provide consumers' in-home voice and data needs. In addition, money spent on wireline services is often a redundant expense from a consumer's perspective, and results in lost revenue potential for wireless service providers. Both of these concerns can be alleviated if the wireless service provider can efficiently and cost-effectively measure a consumer's at-home coverage, and predict voice and data reliability and savings for the consumer prior to the consumer disconnecting their wireline services. Accordingly, methods and systems are provided herein by which a wireless service provider can efficiently and cost-effectively measure a locations wireless coverage, and predict voice and data reliability, voice quality, and data throughput at that location.